Physical examination

The basic objectives of the physical examination are to reproduce the patient's symptoms, detect the level of the lesion and determine the cause (if possible) by provocation of the affected joints or tissues. This is done using the time-honoured method of joint examination—look, feel, move and test function. The patient should be stripped to a minimum of clothing so that careful examination of the back can be made. A neurological examination of the lower limb should be performed if symptoms extend below the buttocks.

A useful screening test for a disc lesion and dural tethering is the slump test. 6 The main components of the physical examination are: